Circle of Kisses
by Selim
Summary: A look at Zack and Angeal’s realationship through a series of drabbles. Complete
1. Drabbles 1 through 10

Circle of Kisses  
**By**: Selim  
**Summary**: A look at Zack and Angeal's realationship through a series of drabbles.  
**Warnings**: Suggested themes, yaoi, language  
**Pairings**: AngealxZack, SephirothxCloud  
**Disclaimer**: I do not own Final Fantasy VII. I am not making any profit off this piece of fanfiction.

* * *

Word: Negative

* * *

"Don't do that."

Zack dropped the sword he was using to skew vegetables from the garden. When Angeal's attention turned to watering the cabbages, the Second shifted his attention to another part of the garden where, as quick as a puppy, he went to occupy himself with the hoe.

"Stop that."

The hoe was dropped in a similar fashion as the sword from earlier. Batting practice with the wind chime could wait until Angeal went to bed. "All this negativity is going to stunt my growth."

"You're almost eighteen, Zack," said Angeal as he checked his tomatoes, "just sit still. We'll go down to the simulation training room after I'm through."

Grabbing his sword from the dirt, Zack rushed for a seat and waited patiently for Angeal to finish. When the man was done, long fingers brushed through dark tresses, "Good, pup. Let's go train." Basking in the warmth of praise, Zack grabbed Angeal's hand to drag the man quickly to the training room, promising himself not to take a hoe to Angeal's wind chime that night.

* * *

word: Goofball

* * *

What drew Angeal's attention to the dark haired man that would later become his student was Zack's personality. He'd seen men melt into a puddle of goo from just being in the same room as him or any of the other First Class SOLDIERs, but Zack was different. Their first meeting would forever haunt him as an embarrassing moment. He'd just returned from a mission, unshaven and smelling. His long hair had been tangling down his back and he'd known he would be draining ShinRa's hot water that night. Long story short, Zack had thought he was a homeless slum dweller and had _given_ him five gil.

Then there were the times during basic training when Zack proceeded to be the unit clown, always having an answer to every question, every order, and every comment.

Genesis had once inquired what made Angeal want to take the goofball under his wing, and Angeal couldn't contain the smile as Zack came rushing into the room at that point and slid on the carpet, where he collided into the couch. Genesis had crossed his arms, watching the scene with a hint of interest. "If," Zack panted, climbing on his knees to dart out of the room, "Sephiroth comes in, you've never seen me!" That said, the dark haired man darted out of the room. A few moments later, Sephiroth (pink hair and all) came storming into the room with Masamune unsheathed. Both men pointed towards the door that Zack had fled through. When alone again, Angeal turned to his dearest friend.

"The goofball makes me laugh," Angeal chuckled. Genesis followed suit in agreement.

* * *

Word: Parents

* * *

"She had no right to say that!"

"You have to give her some credit, she didn't come after me with that knife like I thought she would."

"That's not the point! You make me happy! That's all that should matter not the fact that we can't have grandchildren! This went horrible! I'm so sorry for dragging you all the way here to be degraded! I'll make it up to you when we get back home. I'll do that one thing you like so much."

"Calm down, it wasn't that bad. I've heard worse from my neighbors when I set the cat on fire practicing with materia. Which reminds me: don't use magic when you're in a sadistic mood – no one wins."

"I'll remember that. But still: I want to make this up to you. This wasn't what I imagined when I brought this up during our last mission."

"Calm down, pup. Dinner with your parents was fine. Your mother didn't say anything my mother hasn't said to me already. No matter what anyone says I'm not going anywhere. A Gongagan woman wielding a just-sharpened butcher knife and ranting about grandbabies isn't going to make me go away—what's wrong Zack? Did you get dirt in your eye? There appears to have been a long dry spell in the area and…"

"It's always been dry here. No, it's not the dust. That's…the sweetest thing you've ever said. Screw when we get back to Midgar. I'll do that thing with my tongue here."

"Z-Zack!"

* * *

Word: Medication

* * *

"I don't wanna!"

Angeal huffed, blowing a strand of hair from his face. This wasn't how he wanted to spend his Saturday. Of course, he hadn't wanted to spend his Thursday evening out in the storms either. He could only thank his high mako levels for not being sick. Zack, however, hadn't faired nearly as well. The dark haired _dog_ was huddled under a heavy blanket on his couch, gazing out with distaste at the medicines the doctors had prescribed to him. "Just swallow the stuff like a good soldier, Zack." Angeal tried again, playing on the puppy's ego.

A cute button nose scrunched and the blankets cocooned again, shielding the sick Zack from any attacks from the medicines. "It tastes all nasty."

Taking the white bottle in his hand, Angeal frowned, "but professor Hojo added a taste of cherry to it; you like cherries!"

"It still tastes like chalk. He's a liar." Zack shifted positions to lie on his side. It was a pitiful sight to the First. He had never liked being sick as a kid himself, and it was even worse to see his energetic student struck down by a case of the sniffles. "Can't you just cast cure on me?"

"You know I can't." Angeal took a seat on the couch; his large hand fell on Zack's shoulder. "Come on, puppy. The sooner you take your medicine the sooner you'll be better and we can go on that mission."

"…I got the mission?" Zack's head left the blankets. The man had been vying for the Mideel mission, going as far as to ass kissing to get sent on the mission. Not only would it be a vacation but it would also be an excellent training experience considering the monsters around the hot spring resort were known to be extra strong. "…but it tastes like chalk…"

Measuring out some of the thick, white medicine, Angeal held the clear cup under Zack's chin. "You can trust me, it'll taste different this time."

With an untrusting eye, Zack downed the contents, cringing. "You liar—"

Angeal sealed their mouths together. It was true, the supposed cherry medicine was still chalky, but it was for Zack's own sake. "Did that make it any better?" He huskily whispered after.

"Will you give me my medicine tomorrow?"

"Yeah, pup, I will."

* * *

Word: Reminding

* * *

Genesis had reminded him that he was expected to be back in Midgar by Friday if he wanted to think about breathing again.

Angeal arrived on Thursday.

Sephiroth reminded him that they needed to be up and ready by eight. Any later and he promised to kill the Commander.

Angeal was ready by five.

Cloud, in a squeaky, uncertain voice, reminded Angeal of his lines. Those blue eyes darkened just enough to promise bodily harm if the First forgot what to say.

Which was why it was all written on his wrist – just in case.

Zack's sweet face greeted him at the podium. The dark haired Second blushed, looked down and whispered his own greetings. "I thought you wouldn't make it."

"After all the reminders I was getting, how could I forget?" Angeal smirked. "I'm ready to marry you, puppy."

"I'm glad." Zack smiled.

* * *

Word: Fear

* * *

SOLDIER was no place for a person afraid of needles. Though subjected to dozens of them in his youth, Angeal still had an irrational fear of them. His annual mako injections put him on edge for weeks. This wasn't the same though. Angeal cringed as the tattoo artist approached him and Zack.

Just looking at the device made his back stiffen. "Zack, are you sure you want to do this?"

"All the SOLDIER guys have one!" The brunette smiled up, raising the sleeve of his shirt. The tattoo artist took a seat, preparing the area.

"Name three."

"Tisnel, Usu, and Golapsi."

Slapping the top of his head, Angeal sighed. "Respectable SOLDIERs, Zack."

"Um…Sephiroth. He has a 'one'."

"Okay, so he's a number. You're going to be remembered as the crow guy."

"It's a vulture."

"Every dying SOLDIER needs his own. Very promising."

Zack's face grimaced at the realization that a vulture did, in most cases, mean an impending death. "Gotcha – hey, man, how about that skull?"

"I knew a man," Angeal crossed his arms trying to appear nonchalant, "who had a skull on his back – flamed one, looked cool. Dead in a week; _his_ skull was crushed by a rock." That needle was getting too close to Zack's skin, making Angeal nervous again.

Zack tensed. "Maybe a rose?"

"Poor Anderson, that's why we have a regulation about touching foreign flora. We thought it was just a rose like the one on his chest."

"Wutaiian symbol?"

"Poor Basch, we veterans of the Wutai war will never forget you or your 'friend' tattoo." Angeal touched his chest.

"I'm starting to think you're afraid of needles."

Scoffing, Angeal turned his head away, "Me? A SOLDIER? Afraid of a needle? Hah! Never."

Zack rolled his eyes, looking at the annoyed tattoo artist. "Can I get a piercing instead, man?"

"Make your father go away so I can do my job." The burly guy snorted, putting away his tattoo tools in favor of a piercing gun.

Angeal knew that he'd won the first battle against the needle, but the new battle was going to be a harder one. "Zack—!"

* * *

Word: Rain

* * *

It rarely rained in Midgar but when it did, it poured. Some said that the clear droplets were a means for the area to cleanse itself of the pollution brought about by the reactors, others said it was just the region Midgar was located in. Zack couldn't care what the reason was; he preferred the long droughts to the rainy jungle season that he'd grown up in. Children in Midgar were enchanted when it rained while children in Gongaga were kept inside until the rain stopped and the flooding subsided.

In the end, Zack _hated_ the rain. It meant long hours indoors with nothing to do. The first droplet of rain had started in the early hours of morning – a week ago. Already schools were canceled and all were worrying about flooding in the Midgar area. Zack didn't see all that much of a problem with a few puddles but he considered with the area being made entirely of machinery it was a big problem.

On the third night of rain, Angeal had made himself at home in Zack's apartment. Apparently the roofs of the higher ranked officers were leaking and Zack _owed_ his mentor _a lot_. As if the brunette would turn away the man he loved on account of the rain.

Only, this lead to Genesis moving in followed by Sephiroth. Then the cadet barracks had flooded and cadets were being handed out to those who had room – Zack received one extra guest named Cloud Strife (a weird name). With his personal space being held by his commanding officers (and one cadet), Zack had found that even he could feel subconscious about the littlest of things.

Genesis had already gone through all of his drawers, after having commandeered the bedroom, and chastised his lack of literature ("Not even a porno, it's a shame."). Meanwhile, Sephiroth had taken control of Zack's personal work consol to do some paperwork while the rain had the rest of Midgar out of commission. Angeal busied himself cleaning the small space, leaving nothing without a through scrubbing (thus Zack realized half the food he'd been eating was expired). The only one who'd kept out of the SOLDIER's private space was the cadet who was just excited to have a television to view – poor kid had been raised without, what he refereed to as, "a talking picture box".

Though his personal life was now on display, Zack realized as he got to know the cadet, that maybe rain wasn't that bad – in small doses.

* * *

Word: Empty

* * *

"Fuck."

In all his years of knowing Angeal, Zack had never heard the older man curse. To be honest, it wasn't all that nice to hear after he'd had his own mouth washed with soap when he used such colorful language. "Something wrong?" He murmured, relaxing under Angeal's own weight. He was so hot and ready.

"It's empty."

Zack's eyes flashed open, looking up at Angeal for a clear understanding at what the man was getting at. He'd known Angeal was older but…that old? Whatever he'd been thinking had to been clearly written on his face because Angeal smacked the Gongagan boy upside his head while opening drawers. "No. The lube. Have you got any more?"

"I keep hordes in my closet," Zack rolled his eyes sarcastically. Had he not been in the right state of mind he would have told his older lover to screw it and screw _him_ but Angeal wasn't exactly a little fellow. Lubricant was the only thing that was going to make the night bearable as well as pleasurable. "Maybe we've been doing this too much."

"There's never 'too much', Zack. There's 'not enough' and there's 'just about enough', but never 'too much'. We're doing this dry then." Angeal grabbed a leg to stretch Zack out more.

"No! No! Put me down! G, go ask Genesis for some or…" Zack blushed. "No more if the lube is empty." Rolling out from under Angeal, Zack rushed off towards the bathroom to lock himself up and relieve the pressure that was building. He knew Angeal wouldn't go ask Genesis for anything – apparently that broke a law between friends, no sharing money, boyfriends, or lubricant.

From the bedroom a loud thump of a fist hitting wood resounded throughout the apartment. It was a sworn promise between the two that from then on, the lubricant would never get close to empty again.

* * *

Wishing

* * *

Wishing doesn't bring anything.

Zack had wished he could be a hero ever since he was little and saving village girls from make believe dragons and evil sorceresses. He wished he could have a girlfriend but the same girls he once protected felt he was too immature for them.

He wished he could be a strong SOLDIER First Class, but because of restrictions in numbers unless a First suddenly died, Zack would remain a Second. He wished he could be much more with his mentor, but Angeal was as heterosexual as they came.

He wished he could fight alongside his mentor, to be there when things got too tough. Angeal ended up saving Zack from harm. Some hero he turned out to be.

The night of his Wutai mission, Zack wished for the war to end. It ended, and he lost Angeal.

Zack later wished he could see Angeal again. It was a painful memory that would forever haunt him.

Zack only wished for his feelings to be returned. No one would know that as he helped Genesis out, the dying swordsman whispered in his ear that Angeal had always returned those feelings but Zack, too busy wishing, had never acted on them and Angeal, too honorable to do so, had left everything bottled up inside.

His wishing never did bring him anything but sorrow.

* * *

Word: Children

* * *

Zack probably should have kept his mouth shut, but he couldn't help it. "If we had kids, I wonder what they'd look like."

The coffee he'd just swallowed came back up, causing the First to cough. "What?"

"Our kids."

Afraid he'd drop his coffee cup, Angeal placed it down on the desk so he could give Zack his undivided attention. "Unless you are one messed up man, I don't think that is possible Zack. End of discussion."

"I know I can't have children but I wonder what our genes would mix into." Zack rolled off the couch. He was quick to approach Angeal, to touch the man's face. "I bet dark hair cause we both have it and…your strong cheek bones – did your dad have that too?"

"Yes but—stop thinking along those lines. We can't have kids and if you could we sure the heck wouldn't be…ahem, you know…without protection." Angeal rubbed his temples, fighting off his oncoming headache. "I wouldn't punish a kid with my genes."

"I think our kid would look cute. I hope it has your eyes, they're so deep I could stare into them forever." The dark haired teen climbed on Angeal's lap, staring longingly into Angeal's eyes. Reflex kicked in, making the First wrap his arms around the younger man to keep Zack from falling. "My nose – that's a strong feature in my family. Um. Pretty blue eyes and a gorgeous smile."

"Like your own?" Angeal smiled, causing Zack to blush. "If we had a kid," he agreed, "he'd be the epitome of beauty because of his mother."

"Angeal…"

"So what brought this all on?" Angeal brushed his lips across Zack's neck.

Lifting his head, Zack blushed red at the feeling going straight to his groin. "Well…mako does some crazy things."

"Yes, wings sprouting out of SOLDIER backs, monsters with extraordinary strength, and crazy scientists." Angeal agreed, raising his arms around the round rump his student called a butt.

"I'm pregnant. Is 'Zangeal' a good name? Angack? Angeal, what's wrong? Um…wake up. Hello!"


	2. Drabbles 11 through 20

Circle of Kisses  
**By**: Selim  
**Summary**: A look at Zack and Angeal's realationship through a series of drabbles.  
**Warnings**: Suggested themes, yaoi, language  
**Pairings**: AngealxZack, SephirothxCloud  
**Disclaimer**: I do not own Final Fantasy VII. I am not making any profit off this piece of fanfiction.

* * *

Word: Anticipation

* * *

Sephiroth pulled Cloud to sit next to him. There was no need for two idiots to wear a hole in the floor, especially since Angeal appeared to do it so well. The man's arms were clasped behind his back as he shot back and forth across the medical ward. Genesis was stretching his legs out just right to trip his friend, but each attempt failed. "What's taking so long?" The older dark haired man turned toward his friends, expecting one of them to have an answer.

Where Genesis and Sephiroth backed away from responding, Cloud didn't. "It's a long surgery and Kingston promised to make sure Professor Hojo didn't take any samples while he was inside Zack."

"Maybe he's clinging to the inside of Zack? Babies are known to do that." Genesis opened up a random magazine. "Look an article about babies – the mother appears to have been in labor for seventeen hours. Screw it, I have a date in an hour. Sephiroth, call me with the number of horns the kid has. My bet is two plus a tail."

Sephiroth waved his hand in conformation as Cloud shifted. "Whatever happened to guessing the baby's weight? We did that in Nibelheim."

"It's the first time two high-ranked mako levels have come together, which is why Hojo has an interest in the product. It is believed that the child may have extra appendages and it's a bet on what it will be. I think it'll be wings. Would you like to stake a bet? Our grand total is ten thousand gil to the winner plus a week of paid leave."

"Um," Cloud leaned his head back in thought. "I think he'll be a normal baby – two legs, two arms, matching digits." The boy smiled at Sephiroth, who shrugged his shoulders and wrote it down. Twenty gil was exchanged; Angeal watched in surprise that his coworkers were having fun with his fears.

He stopped as a soft cry came from behind the iron door. The three stood in anticipation and waited for the doors to open and for Angeal's first child to be shown. Minutes passed, causing the anticipation to mount. After the first cry, silence had filled the ward causing Angeal to tense up. Finally, the door slid open and a doctor came out with a baby wrapped in a blue blanket. With encouraged help, Angeal held his son for the first time, looking deep into the closed eyes of his first son. The baby yawned, stretched, and curled into a fetal position, ready to fall back asleep. "He's beautiful." Angeal whispered.

Cloud and Sephiroth were at his side in seconds, trying to get a glimpse at the newborn. With a shout of excitement, Cloud jumped back. His arms shot in the air as he screamed, "I won!"

"Damn!" Sephiroth hissed, phone out to make the call to Lazard to spread the word. After months of anticipation, the baby was born without any deformities and Cadet Cloud Strife had won the raffle with dumb luck.

* * *

Word: Speechless

* * *

Tossing his armor onto the couch, Angeal gave a sharp look around his apartment. He couldn't understand why Genesis suddenly needed his book on sword maintenance but knowing his dearest friend, he couldn't help but wonder that something had been planted while he was gone. "Zack?" He glanced over the chair, looking for tall-tale signs of the impossible teen. "Must have gotten that call." The teen had been looking at his cell phone expectantly.

"Ch. Clear your schedule for him and he doesn't even have the decency to pay you back." The swordsman collapsed in his personal reading chair. Rubbing his temples, the man glared at the wall across from him. Now he didn't even have his newest maintenance book!

Resting his head back, Angeal let his thoughts flow freely. He didn't need Zack – the boy was a recent accessory in his love life. Releasing the bindings of his pants, the swordsman freed his shaft and let go. Pulling, imagining, flowing. His hand moved fast as he became lost in passion. "Zack…Zack…" His head dipped back in his chair.

"Oh my…"

Dark eyes snapped open fast. "Um…" That was Zack's voice, but Angeal still didn't want to place to first voice he'd heard.

"At least we know your sword isn't compensating anything." Genesis' smug voice.

"Erk, I'm so sorry for harassing you for limping the other day, Zack!" Cloud that time, sounding rushed and nervous. Grabbing a random item from the side table, Angeal covered himself up, trying to sink into his chair as words were lost.

"Such indecency," Sephiroth chastised, "and in front of your own mother too."

"…" Angeal swallowed hard as his mother repeated her first comment.

"…Oh my…"

* * *

Word: Reading

* * *

Angeal actually dropped his prized weapon when he walked into his apartment to find Zack reading a book. This wasn't the first time he'd found his student's nose in paper, but those were usually magazines and comics. This was a real book, spine and all. A thick one as well, Angeal noted as he approached his student cautiously, "who are you and what have you done to my puppy?"

"Ha, ha, everyone's a comedian. Genesis loaned me this book." Zack kicked his feet out, and because he was lying on his stomach, kicking his feet out caused the tips of his toes to clip his bottom. The jiggling of flesh distracted Angeal's gaze but a quick shake of his head reminded him of the matter at hand: Genesis had talked Zack into reading.

"What book? I can't see you reading Loveless"

Zack's nibbled on his bottom lip as his face flushed. "I tried reading that – I couldn't understand it. No. Um…It's called 'The Gay Man's Kama Sutra'."

"…Give it back to him." Angeal started towards the kitchen after putting away his sword. He knew Zack reading was too good to be true.

"I didn't think this book would be okay but I wanna test some of these! Come on, you get free sex and I can verify if some of these positions are even possible. Don't have to wine and dine me!"

"I don't 'wine and dine you', Zack. You come with a turn on turn off switch. Go watch television or something."

"But I'm reading-!"

Taking the book from Zack's hands, Angeal opened the sitting room window and tossed the book from ShinRa Tower. "Now you're not." To make his point clear, the swordsman turned his television to cartoons and went busy himself in the kitchen. He never saw another book in Zack's hands again.

* * *

Word: Sick

* * *

When Angeal woke up, he found his chest felt heavy – his head equally so. Bringing his hand to his forehead, the older man released a rough groan that sounded more nasally than anything. Not only that, but he felt like someone had cast a fire spell on him, leaving him hot and sweating. His first theory for being hot was that Zack was laying on him, because the boy was like a walking furnace. That reason was crossed off the list because Zack was all the way on the edge of the bed, hugging his pillow.

"Stop moving." The puppy slurred, half asleep. Stilling, Angeal found himself panting in exhaustion from just throwing the blankets of his body. Zack must have realized something was wrong because the dark haired teen was hovering over the older man. "Are you okay?"

"It's too hot." Angeal admitted. "Could you go and turn on the air conditioning?"

"Angeal, it's winter… in Midgar. It's freaking cold already." The dark haired teen pressed his hand on Angeal's temple. "You're burning up, let me get a wet rag."

"I'm not sick. SOLDIERs don't get sick." Angeal laid his head back against his soaked pillow.

Zack just smiled, sliding out of bed and out of the room. When he returned, he had a wet rag at hand, which he dabbed across Angeal's forehead. "Just go back to sleep. I'll be here when you wake up."

"Not sick." Angeal grumbled as he pulled the covers over his body. Pitifully, he reached out for Zack's arm when the teen went to lie back down. "Stay near me."

Zack just smiled, returning to the sitting position next to Angeal. _Firsts were, perhaps, the worst patients._

* * *

Word: Toad

* * *

A croaking woke Genesis from his catnap.

Cracking his eye open, the brunette glanced around his apartment for the source of the noise. He wasn't Angeal; he didn't have an artificial pond out on his balcony (he had an imported dumb apple tree, a gift from his mother for making First) so he had no reason to be hearing frog croaking on the highest tower of the ShinRa apartments. "Whoever you are, come out." He waited as a brown toad jumped from behind his seat, looking more human than amphibian. "I'm debating about curing you, go get a kiss from your prince."

The frog scowled at him, croaking louder.

"So what did you do this time?" Genesis set down his book as he gracefully slid to his feet from the window bench he'd been relaxing on. "Took his sword? Told him no?" The smirking First moved to the frog where he happily sat.

The brown frog jabbed him a few times, but it was no effect. Genesis purposely wore a ribbon around his forehand for this occasion.

"Give me a good reason why I should cure you then."

The frog gave him a pointed look, croaking again.

Casting a frog spell on his friend, Genesis sat back against his couch with a smug smirk as he waited for what had happened.

"I was caught."

"Stupid Angeal, you know better than to stay after grabbing the target."

"Genesis," the once-frog man breathed, "he—Zack—he, he has a school girl uniform in his closest above the birthday gift for me."

"Oh, kinky."

"Then he caught me in his closet and turned me into a frog."

Patting his friend on the back, Genesis bit back the smirk that wanted to show on his face, "It's okay, dearest friend, there's always next year." And as Angeal sulked, the brunette couldn't help but wonder what Zack looked like in that schoolgirl uniform. "Oh…and wear a white cape or a ribbon next year when you go looking in his closet for your birthday gift."

"Right."

* * *

Word: Missing

* * *

Slamming his fist into the communication center, Angeal scowled as Zack's tracker disappeared from location. One second they had sight of the brunette, the next the boy didn't exist. He was starting to wonder if sending his student to fight monsters in the mountains was a smart move. It was supposed to be a simple in-out mission, one SOLDIER and two cadets to kill off some weak monsters as a training protocol, but a mayday alert had come in hours after.

"Zack! Puppy! Do you read me!" He shouted into the communication speaker; nothing but static greeted him back. It was a cold reminder that the brunette First was now MIA with nothing but untrained cadets with him.

"Get a reading on the cadets with them. Cadet Strife's tracking number is X519-S24. Cadet Boitz is S203-933." Sephiroth pushed Angeal back, taking a seat at the command station. The Third Networking Specialist rapidly typed in the codes. The large screen flickered into two columns with both cadets' images in the upper corner and the map of the area in the foreground. Boitz's signal flickered near the ShinRa Bridge, but the lifeline under the cadet's image was flat lined. Strife's signal was non-existent, much like Zack's own signal. "Contact the Station Unit in that area, I want troops in Boitz's location. The missing unit shouldn't be that far away, calm down Commander." Sephiroth's tone was final but Angeal didn't relax, his eyes still on the flashing screen. The distress from Zack's ground unit started on ShinRa Bridge – worst case scenarios were plaguing his thoughts.

"You don't understand. This isn't just a random unit we sent to scout the area. It's Zack. My…he's my…" He wanted to admit the truth finally, that he was dating his student. That he loved his student more than anything else in the world.

Sephiroth just gave him a sharp, jagged look. "I understand, Angeal. My special someone is out there missing, too."

Both men could only sit and wait for the phone to ring with news of the missing unit – for both their sake.

* * *

Word: Amnesia

* * *

"Unit Five's last transmission signal was found at Raven Seven, ninety-eight degrees from ShinRa Bridge. Cadet Boitz's body was found speared on a sharp rock formation under the bridge. We followed the tracks seventeen kilometers from where we found Cadet Strife's standard issue tracking device, which appeared shattered in the fall, to a hut at the base of the trail where Cadet Strife and Captain Fair were found."

Two dual jumps drew the attention of the conference attendees to both General Sephiroth and Commander Hewley. "Safe?" Angeal asked. Sephiroth's emerald eyes burned into the side of Tseng's head.

"A few shattered bones. Captain Fair suffered a blow to the front temporal lobe -- the swelling has subsided -- along with a fractured femur and numerous gashes along his chest. Cadet Strife has a punctured lung, a mild concussion, as well as a number of cuts from the fall. They have been transported to the Midgar Intensive Care Unit for further testing." Tseng took a deep breath before continuing, "ShinRa Bridge snapped from wear as well as the weight of the unit. While Boitz's fall impaled him on the rocks, it is believed that Fair and Strife's fall landed them in the water, cushioning them just enough to cause broken bones."

Angeal was out the door before Sephiroth, making his way to the medical ward to see his student. He had a lot to say to his student, but he mostly wanted to see for himself that Zack was very much alive.

Storming through ICU, Angeal pulled the curtains blocking him from his student. The teen was already sitting up with a nurse standing next to him, to relieve any pressure the teen could feel. The nurse, a pretty blond, stepped forward, "Commander Hewley, Doctor Nelson needs to speak with you before—" But she had already been pushed away by the happy commander, who took a seat next to Zack.

"You gave me quite a scare there, Puppy." He smiled.

"I'm sorry, Commander. It won't happen again." Zack said stiffly, head forward in attention. Angeal stopped. That didn't seem right; Zack hadn't been stiff with him since the boy's cadet days.

"Zack, are you okay?"

"Yes, sir!" The teen said, back stiffening further. From behind, Angeal could hear Nelson walking in the room. The doctor's voice was deep as he spoke to Zack, "State your name and rank, boy."

"Cadet Fair, Unit Four. My C.O. is Captain Nickleson." The teen pressed further.

Angeal took a step back.

"It's amnesia, sir. We'll be keeping him in for observation. If you may, sir," Angeal was lead out of the room, to give one final glance back at his poor student.

* * *

Word: Eggos

* * *

The worst task in the world was grocery shopping. High mako readings in soldiers meant monstrous appetites, an embarrassing side effect for a man who grew up happy to have a tiny bit of food on his plate and never more. His own mother had been stunned when he and Genesis had visited and thus ate both families out of house and home in just one sitting.

It was equally embarrassing when he looked into his cart to see that it was piled with foods of all varieties, but it was necessary. To eat meant one was alive, and Angeal loved knowing that. He still felt embarrassed, as he was only halfway through his shopping list and had to send his student to get another cart. At least, he decided, all the food he was going to purchase was considerably healthy. Not even Sephiroth bought all organic foods; the man had a soft spot for chocolate chocobo eggs.

And he was well on his way to teaching Zack the secret of buying food that was good for the soul. He'd shown him the value of lean cut beef as opposed to the slop the teen had wanted as well as the value of looking at the nutritional facts. Zack was, slowly, becoming a good shopping buddy.

Or so he thought.

When the boy returned back with his cart, the red basket was already filled with a few treats that were definitely not healthy. Eggo waffles, thick, buttery syrup, and butter with the side of chocolate chips. Angeal frowned as he shook his head, "Put them back, Zack."

"No, please let me get them!" Zack held onto the yellow box with a death grip. "I never have time to make waffles with my training schedule, these are quick and make a great breakfast when I'm in a rush."

"And the chocolate chips?"

The boy looked at the bag, shifting nervously. "Snack, sir."

"Put them back."

"But I'm paying for them!"

"Zack. Eggos or chips, Zack. Only one and a harsh training." Angeal crossed his arms, waiting to see which one the brunette would pick.

The boy was thinking about it hard, lifting the box and bag to scale them out. He dropped the chocolate chips back on a random rack, pushing his cart forward. "Onward Angeal!"

"And you're not drowning them in syrup!"

"I'll exercise it off."

And Angeal knew he would be exercising it off because he too had a soft spot – for Eggo waffles with chocolate chips. The bag of chips was dropped in his cart as he trailed behind his student.

* * *

Competition

* * *

Their alone time was pulled to a finish when Zack's phone rang. The teen excused himself with a bright smile, and Angeal just shrugged, returning to his novel. It was a peaceful night. Neither had night shift, leaving them to relax for the first time in weeks; however, neither had been in the mood to go to the bedroom because the hectic schedule from before hadn't dampened their sex life at all. Instead, people knew not to knock on Angeal's office door between the hours of one and three.

"I'm heading down to the plate." Zack pecked Angeal's cheek. "Just give me a ring if you need something." Thus the teen left and Angeal happily went back to his book.

The next day was the same. Zack grabbed a blue backpack from the ground with a wide smile. "I'm going down to the plate with some friends. Ring me if you need something." Angeal just nodded his head, flipping the page in his book as he went.

By the third day, Angeal didn't even look up when Zack vanished without a word. On the fourth day, he was starting to get irritated that some idiot was taking his time with Zack. He promised that he wouldn't give Zack time to flee the next day.

By Monday, he thought he had it made. Zack was sprawled out on his teacher's bed, breathing heavily. He was red in the face, looking like he'd reached the Lifestream in ecstasy – a positively delicious look for the First Class SOLDIER. Angeal was about to swallow Zack's hard cock when the cheery tone of Zack's phone echoed across the room. The teen was already sitting up, pushing Angeal off him. "I gotta take that."

Angeal pushed him back. "I refuse to compete for your time. Let it ring."

Pinning Zack's hips to the bed, Angeal returned to the task at hand – bringing Zack to completion. The phone went off again. Twice, Trice. Finally it went dead and Angeal raised Zack's leg on his shoulder. He finally had all of Zack's attention.

His own phone went off. Grabbing the speaker, Angeal drew it to his ear. "Hewley."

"_I refuse to compete with you for Zack. He's mine._"

"Genesis, dear fried, you are two years too late to compete for Zack's attention." To prove his point, Angeal pushed in. "I won."

"_We'll just see._"

"Yes, we'll see. Now go away, I'm busy." The man turned off his cellular. He wasn't going to lose any competition for Zack's attention because he had pure devotion from his student.

* * *

Content

* * *

In post-hormonal bliss, Zack laid his head on Angeal's chest, listening to the rapid heart beat of his lover. He had had a difficult week, especially with graduations. He hadn't had a moment of peace until that evening when Angeal had taken his hand and led him into the back room, where they made love for hours. Zack didn't even know if he would ever be the same again after Angeal had taken him with such passion, it had left the second forgetful of his own name.

Large arms wrapped around Zack's broad shoulders, followed by a deep snore from the sleeping first. Grinning, Zack pressed his face into the older man's ribs, inhaling the deep scent of masculinity that was Angeal. Drunk from the glory that was his lover, Zack's body relaxed and let go. A year ago, he would have been uncomfortable with the tight embrace and lack of space, but now, even if Zack knew that by the morning he'd be pinned under the large, bulky man, he was content being loved. Even at the cost of his lungs from the tight hugs, Zack couldn't be happier. "Love ya, Angeal."

"We'll play t'mrow pup. Go t' sleep." Angeal tossed on his side, curling around Zack's frame.

Zack ducked back in the bulky chest of his mentor with a large grin. It would all be worth it.


	3. Drabbles 21 through 30

Circle of Kisses  
**By**: Selim  
**Summary**: A look at Zack and Angeal's realationship through a series of drabbles.  
**Warnings**: Suggested themes, yaoi, language  
**Pairings**: AngealxZack, SephirothxCloud  
**Disclaimer**: I do not own Final Fantasy VII. I am not making any profit off this piece of fanfiction.

* * *

Word: End

* * *

It had started out simple enough. A gift was strategically placed before Zack's door so the teen couldn't miss it as he came back from a harsh day of training. It was a ceramic dog with a basket of fruits indigenous to the Gongaga region. The item was put up for all to see when they entered the Second's apartment.

Next to arrive in the mail was tickets to a band that had origins in Gongaga. The boy had been thrilled, telling his teacher that he had lived next to the group in his youth.

This followed with mementos from the boy's childhood. A little unnerved, Zack had placed the items around his dog knick-knack. Not pleased with the gifts to his student, Angeal went looking for who was harassing his puppy.

He would put an end to this -- he'd worked too hard giving Zack a chance in SOLDIER for some stalker to schmooze his student!

* * *

Word: Gas

* * *

"Damn it!" Slamming his palm into the car wheel, Angeal didn't flinch when the supposed 'sturdy' device broke. He cursed again at his luck. He was a car day away from Zack's hometown. In the back seat, Genesis was kicking his feet against the door in a childish attempt to amuse himself. In the passenger seat (having claimed he had the longest legs), Sephiroth shifted to look further out the window at the terrain that seemed to repeat itself.

"We've stopped moving," The general noted.

"No shit." Genesis smirked from the backseat before clasping his hands together in prayer, "Oh sweet Goddess, have I scorned you? Is this punishment for my war sins?"

"Shut up both of you!" Angeal tossed the wheel out the open window while forcing his seat belt to unsnap. "We have to walk the rest of the way. We're out of gas."

Sephiroth scowled, "Didn't you fill the tank back in Coast de Sol?" Still, he was grabbing his things from the trunk. Genesis dropped to his knees outside the car, looking under the car.

"Remember that monster I told you to run over?"

Angeal scowled. "You mean the squirrel you bet me seven hundred gil to run over – yes, yes I remember it."

"No, it was a monster, not a squirrel. His fangs are still in the tank. We must have been leaking gas since we hit the bugger." Genesis brushed his pants off. "You know what that means, troops?" Angeal and Sephiroth scowled back at the brunette. Without another word, they started west.

Car or no, Angeal had _promised_ Zack he'd arrive by midnight.

* * *

Word: Dinner

* * *

"I don't want to, pup." Angeal dug his fingers into his chair, glaring at the brunette teen that was dressed for dinner.

"Come on, I promised Cloud we'd be there for his 'Nibelheim Holiday Dinner Thing'. Come on, I don't want to go alone." The teen was picking up an orange container with a cultural desert from his hometown. From where he sat, Angeal could smell the overpowering scent of fruit. Genesis was making a strong beer made of dumb apples under the pretense of apple cider, which left Zack to make dessert because Cloud was handling the entire dinner thing.

Sephiroth hadn't cared what was being made; he enjoyed tasting cuisines from around the world – as long as he didn't have to cook them. All of them agreed after the General had made a 'hobo dinner' which landed them all in the sickbay.

"No, I'd rather eat here in the comfort of my kitchen."

"You're just mad cause I took dessert and Genesis took drinks, leaving you with side dishes." Zack scowled. "Come on, even Genesis is going with some Turk to the dinner. I don't wanna be the only person at dinner without a date. You know how Sephiroth is – he'll be all over Cloud before dessert, while Genesis is getting off with that Turk in a closet and I'll be left on my own with no sturdy head to put everyone in their place."

"I'm sure I serve more of a purpose than a parent at dinner." Angeal turned his head toward his kitty clock above the stove. He supposed if he ordered pizza now it would arrive in an hour. Maybe if he used his real name it would be there in less than.

"You're my date." Zack gripped his dessert tightly.

Snorting, Angeal crossed his arms. "Give me one good reason why I should go."

"I didn't make mama's ice cream pie for Cloud or anyone. I made it cause it's the best dessert to feed you with." Zack climbed onto Angeal's lap, wrapping his arms around the older man's neck. "It's the perfect finger food to feed you…piece by piece…by piece."

Each finger brushed lovingly across Angeal's lips, and the man smiled. He would go for dinner, as long as it was Zack feeding him. Dinner at Sephiroth's wasn't really worth skipping out, no matter how out of control it got. The puppy always made it worth it.

* * *

Word: Puppy

* * *

It was in debate among the ranks as to why Angeal called his student "puppy", but no one truly knew the answer. They had speculated that the reason was because the boy was full of curiosity, like his namesake. Other's claimed it was because the boys hair reminded them of floppy dog-ears, especially when the boy was soaked to the core.

Others claimed it was demeaning, like being called a maggot. It meant Zack would have to work his way to dog, then human being. Until he grew up, he would be a puppy. On the other hand, some said it was a term of endearment because it was known that Angeal respected nature and its inhabitants, thus by calling the boy a puppy, he put him on a pedestal above humans.

But Genesis knew the truth. He watched as Angeal raised his hand, ordering the boy to come, and like a curious puppy, Zack danced around the officer's legs, asking in a high-pitched (yipping) voice as to where they were going. He'd seen Zack snarl at people that got too close to Angeal when the man was not in the mood for visitors, and he'd also seen the boy curl on Angeal's couch, allowing his head to be pet with affection.

Angeal only called Zack a puppy because the teen was a puppy in human clothes.

* * *

Word: Student

* * *

There was one thing that Angeal hated the most about his job – it was when he had to do paperwork. He never wanted to be a paper pusher growing up. He liked moving around too much to be forced behind a desk in a dark, dreary room, with Sephiroth breathing down his neck about Form 2B-Alpha. He valued his life too much to admit to making it into confetti.

A few pages into his work, Angeal crumpled up a letter he'd messed up on, tossing it towards his wastebasket. It landed directly in. Pleased, Angeal crumpled another piece of paper, performing the same action as the last wad. Another dunk. Paper after paper suffered the same fate before the man decided to try newer, harder tries at the trashcan. Under his leg, eyes closed, Angeal smirked as he heard the satisfying crinkle of paper on paper.

In his enjoyment, he never once saw his door open or notice Sephiroth standing with his arms crossed across his broad chest, taking in the whole situation. "I'm starting to wonder," the man purred, "between you and Zack – who is the teacher and who is the student."

What could he say? He was the top student at Zackary Fair's School of Avoiding Work.

* * *

Word: Finally!

* * *

Angeal had had several lovers in his life. For the most part, he found them a bore. All he had to do was admit he wanted sex and his boyfriend or girlfriend would spread his or her legs quickly. Zack wasn't like that. The boy demanded to, at the least, be treated like a human being and not an object. He wanted dates, flowers, chaste kisses, and proof that Angeal meant him no harm.

It surprised him that the situation bothered him so much. He wasn't Genesis. A lover was supposed to be treated like a god, protected and worshipped. It had always annoyed him how fast people were able to lose their honor just for time in his bed. Now, he was annoyed with how honorable Zack was to his body. Like a temple, the boy wanted to hold onto his innocence and give it to the right person.

After a year of being solely teacher and student and finally 'boyfriends', Zack had whispered lovingly in his ear that he was finally ready. Angeal had been fast with preparing his student, romancing the boy to his bed, and loving that body that had been hidden beneath an ugly blue, then later purple, uniform for so long.

And it was exquisite! The wait had been worth it. Finally, he had found the lover that could fill that void. Finally, he could be happy.

Finally, he was complete.

* * *

Word: Park

* * *

After a week of hard rains, the sun had finally peeked over the horizon reminding the inhabitants of Midgar that it did exist. Having a mild case of cabin fever, Angeal had gathered his things—along with his puppy—to go to the park for a little rest and relaxation.

The grass, as artificial as it looked growing on metal, was a calming sight. Imported dirt stuck to his feet as recorded birds chirped overhead, reminding Angeal that he lived in an iron jungle. Zack, however, didn't even notice the difference. Shoes off, the teen was rushing across the park where a couple of children were playing kick ball. Angeal moved over to a tree, taking a seat to just breathe in fresh air for the first time in a long time.

"It's not your turn!"

Cracking open an eye (he hadn't be aware he had fallen asleep), Angeal looked towards the ball court where Zack was stomping his feet about being passed up to play runner. Shrugging, Angeal closed his eyes to pretend nothing was going on.

"Say that to my face, asshole!"

Eyes open again, Angeal was fast to his feet as he witnessed Zack throwing down his helmet and storming towards the catcher. With speed that rivaled his friends, Genesis and Sephiroth, Angeal was over on the playground dragging Zack off the twelve-year-old boy.

"What is wrong with you Zackary? What is it with the park that brings out the worst in you?" Dragging the teen back to ShinRa Tower, Angeal wished he had normal friends.

* * *

Word: Drop

* * *

They were fifty kilometers to the meeting point when, from behind the mountains, another ShinRa helicopter came out of hiding. At first Angeal didn't think too much of it – until they started firing at them. Shockwaves shook the flying contraption, causing mayhem to go through the troops on flight. With an order for them to calm down, Angeal instructed the pilot to avoid the next oncoming shots. The door was taken out, causing a whirlwind blast to grab the troops in the back. The helicopter spiral until the pilot got it under control.

"Get us out of here!" Angeal shouted before turning his body over to count his troops. Four of five. "Where's Zack?"

"He fell out!" One of the troops shouted from their tight hold on the side railings. Blood chilling fear struck Angeal as he rushed to the side of the helicopter, carefully sticking his head out. Hanging from the landing skids, Zack looked up and screamed for help. Another shot ricocheted off the metal transporter, narrowly hitting the flailing teen.

"Zack!" Falling to his belly, Angeal reached towards the skids, to Zack. The boy clung desperately to the metal landings, one arm reaching up to grab Angeal's hand. Their fingertips brushed, but it wasn't enough as another shot was fired towards their hands. Both pulled away as the helicopter shook again, losing altitude. The boy screamed again as his grip was loosened by the sudden shift of the moving helicopter. The boy's shout was drowned out by the loud motor as his grip failed. "Zack!" Angeal reached again but it was too late as the teen dropped into the bluish green sea below. "Lower altitude! Lower!"

"We have to get the Wutais off our asses before, sir. Hold still we're flying through the mountains!"

Angeal remained flat on his belly, looking at the land below thinking of his dropped student. He could only pray his student survived the fall. "Damn war!"

* * *

Word: Mine

* * *

"A gift?" Zack shot up from his seat, nearly colliding into Angeal's chin as he wrapped his arms around Angeal's chest. "Yay! Goody, goody, goody! How did you know it was my birthday?"

Angeal bit his tongue before he admitted the truth: he didn't know it was his student's birthday. The gift was mostly to deter Genesis from looking at his student with lust. "Yea," he smiled, "I heard from the ranks that it was your birthday so I bought you a gift!" He just had to figure out how to explain it.

The wrapped box was handed over, Zack shredding the paper without a second thought. The lid was tossed to the side and slow hands removed the collar accessory from the confines. The boy was quiet for a moment, reading the tag. "…if found call Angeal Hewley at…" The boy looked up then back down at the gift.

It was now time to explain the gift and still come off as a hero. Taking the collar, Angeal wrapped it around the boy's stiff neck, brushing his lips across the boy's collarbone. "I didn't know how else to say I wanted to make you mine."

"Sex makes a better gift than a weak attempt at bondage, you know." Zack fingered the collar. "But I suppose if this means your one friend will stop licking his chops when he sees me, I can live with people thinking I'm literally your dog. Um…does this mean you're mine?"

"I suppose so." Angeal smiled.

"Good, cause I'm buying you an electric collar."

* * *

Word: Savior

_Author side note_: The point behind this "drabble" is simply – I get a lot of plot bunnies and this one has been attacking hard but…I can't write it for some reason. So, it's an inconsistent timeline AU. Enjoy.

* * *

"He is unsatisfactory, a failure in all experiments. I can do no more or study any further."

Hojo's voice brought Angeal's attention from his mako stabilizing shots to the research section of the laboratory. The greasy haired man was talking with another scientist near the elevators. The two went into hushed whispers before Hojo instructed the man to get rid of the projects. Something in Angeal snapped, knowing how Hollander used to get rid of failed experiments. He refused to see another creature die because Hojo didn't care for the subject.

Deciding to follow and investigate, Angeal started towards the lower floor by stairs where he strategically hid his bulky body behind crates in the corner. In a glass tube, two furry creatures were making whining noise similar to animal cries for help as Hojo spoke to his fellow scientist about how to rid themselves of the experiments. After some time, the men in lab coats left the room allowing Angeal time to investigate what they were trying to destroy. In the glass case, the two experiments stared up with obvious nervousness.

Both experiments were humanoids. The dark furred one was part puppy with bronzed skin. The other was a blond puppy, with a cream tone. "What are you?"

The dark haired puppy shifted, his tail twitching nervously as he approached the glass seal to find out what differed Angeal from the white scientist who'd been there moments before. The other puppy, however, moved farther back, growling lowly. "What are you?" The boy copied Angeal's form, arms crossed.

"I'm First Class SOLDIER Angeal Hewley." Angeal responded.

"I'm First Class SOLDIER Angeal Hewley." The boy's tail waved in excitement.

Angeal was starting to believe the humanoid didn't speak the same language. "I'm going to get you out of here, stand back."

The boy didn't move, making Angeal scowl at the language barriers chancing him from saving the boy by break the glass. He wasn't good with gadgets, doubting his ability to find which button opened the door. "Come on, kid, move over to your friend."

Dark ears flattened and the boy finally did move, going to comfort his friend. Angeal watched as the boy licked lovingly at the other humanoid's cheek, hushed foreign whispers coming clearly through the glass. Pulling out his Buster Sword (ignoring the screams of horror from the two puppies), Angeal slammed the blunt side into the glass. Like rain, the shards fell to the floor and Angeal stepped towards them. "Come on, let's get out of here."

The dark haired boy growled and barked between his words, none of which connected with Angeal as he reached down to grab one of the two. The dark haired one bit his hand, causing Angeal to jerk back.

"Professor Hojo won't be happy with the mess you made. He punished me for just breaking a few test tubes when I was a boy. He'd surely put you through trying tests for this."

"Sephiroth. What are you doing in here?" Angeal turned to his friend.

"I saw you on the stairway and watched. I want to make sure you don't do anything hasty."

"I destroyed part of Hojo's lab and you have yet to stop me."

Shrugging his shoulders, Sephiroth stepped forward to look at the experiments for himself. "Yes, but you did what all men dream: hurt our dear professor where it hurts – his lab. What in the world are these? Mako mutations?" Sephiroth came up to the two humanoids, bending down. "They're human and dog mixed."

"Hojo's going to dispose of them. I'm trying to get them out of here."

"Where are you taking them?" Sephiroth frowned as the blond puppy approached him carefully, sniffing at him. Relaxing his hand out for the puppy to get closer, the General frowned as the little humanoid licked at his fingers. The dark haired dog growled, his pawed hand reaching out to pull his friend back.

Angeal stared at the two enslaved boys. As long as they were together, it would be a difficult mission to protect them. The dark puppy watched the new guest critically while the blond puppy didn't like Angeal. "We have to split them up."

"And what good would that be?" Sephiroth picked up the blond puppy, ignoring the dark furred one that tugged on his pants. He seemed to understand as Angeal picked up the other puppy. "So where are we taking them?"

"We're keeping them. Hojo will start looking for them when he finds them missing. We're taking each to our own apartment until the coast is clear. Besides I…want to know what exactly they are."

"You just want to play savior at home." Sephiroth smirked, repositioning the blond puppy in his arms. "I'm going home with Cloud then."

"'Cloud'?" Angeal tilted his head.

"I'm assuming they don't speak our language. I just want to give him a name." Sephiroth smirked, starting towards the stairs. By the broken glass tube, Angeal bounced the fighting puppy in his arms.

"A name?" He looked down at the howling puppy. "You don't look like a 'Night' kind of dog. Um… 'Zack'." He smiled as the dog stopped howling to give him a look. "Let's go Zack, no need to be sitting ducks."


	4. Drabbles 31 through 40

Circle of Kisses  
**By**: Selim  
**Summary**: A look at Zack and Angeal's relationship through a series of drabbles.  
**Warnings**: Suggested themes, yaoi, language  
**Pairings**: AngealxZack, SephirothxCloud  
**Disclaimer**: I do not own Final Fantasy VII. I am not making any profit off this piece of fanfiction.

* * *

Word: Mouse

* * *

Zack's firm butt in the air was a delicious sight to walk into. The little cadet, Cloud Strife, hunched in the same position was equally as good as long as Sephiroth never found out, but that was besides the point. Walking swiftly towards his student, Angeal enclosed his big hand over Zack's butt. "I could get used to this greeting, Zack. Cadet." He nodded towards the red-faced teen in greeting.

"Angeal!" Zack jerked away. "You're back early!"

"Genesis found his shoe." Angeal rolled his eyes. He had thought it had been a real emergency when he was called out to Wutai. He didn't think it would be a simple _wardrobe malfunction_ on his damn friend. "Are you looking for something, Zack?"

The teen looked nervously back at his friend, who was shifting on his heels still looking under furniture. "I lost my contact?"

"You have perfect vision that has no plans of faltering thanks to mako." Angeal tapped his elbow. He knew Zack was just going to keep lying to him, so Angeal turned his attention to the skittish little cadet. "What is Zack looking for?" His voice was stern, leaving no room for excuse. The boy started shaking, even as Zack tried covering him with several different answers, all which went unheard.

"We're looking for Baxter." The blond whispered. Cloud pushed a strand from his face before returning to his search.

Angeal raised a brow. "Baxter?"

"He's my pet!" Cloud smiled over his shoulder. "The mako labs were giving cadets free lab mice and I brought Baxter here to see Zack. He kind of got loose though. We're trying to find him."

Taking a step back, Angeal looked over his clean floors – imagining the rat droppings and piss stains. He'd never be clean again. "A rat is loose in my apartment."

"It's a mouse, Angeal. Rats are totally different from mice. And he's so cute. He's got mako eyes!" Zack bounced on his heels as Cloud continued his search.

_Even worse,_ Angeal forced a smile on his face as he moved to his front door. "I forgot that Sephiroth needed help filing papers. Don't forget your rat when you leave." The door slid open, giving room for the swordsman to gracefully run from his apartment.

"Heh, he's afraid of Baxter," Zack returned to his search.

"Sephiroth took five of them. He wants to make a mutated mouse army worthy of SOLDIER. You should have told Angeal," Cloud whispered nervously to his friend.

"Naw, it's funnier this way."

* * *

Word: Lazy

* * *

"Zack, let's go to the training room."

The brunette didn't move from the kitchen table where his head nestled far into the crook of his arms. "No thanks, maybe Genesis would like a playful battle."

"I don't want to train with Genesis. I want to fight against you, puppy."

"I don't feel like fighting today, Angeal." The teen's eyes returned to the television situated in the living room. Angeal rarely liked the device on, opting to own one only because Genesis kept calling him a caveman, but Zack loved the flashing colors. Today, the teen was watching an old black and white movie with divided attention.

"You ate sugar coated cereal on top of whole milk – you need some exercise."

"You can screw me into oblivion later. Can't we be lazy just this once?"

The teen gave him deep eyes, resembling his namesake 'puppy' eyes. Dropping his training bag of 'nasty' surprises, as Zack affectionately called the bag of mastered materia, Angeal sat in his large seat. "Then come into this room. You're straining your eyes, puppy. You'll be doing two extra hours of training tomorrow."

"Thanks, Angeal."

"And don't think I'm allowing you to be lazy tonight. You're doing all the work."

"Lazy ass."

"Right back at you, pup."

* * *

Word: Mother

* * *

"Oh my baby!"

Angeal readied himself to be taken into his mother's arm, to be pressed against her collarbone, but it never came. A flash of brown that went under his nose towards Zack had the First swinging around fast to watch his student be enclosed in Gillian's arms. Smiling at his mother's attention being shifted to someone else for a change (she could be overbearing sometimes), Angeal crossed his arms. "I thought I'd bring my puppy home."

"So this is Zack the puppy." Said teen gave Angeal a pointed look. "What has Angeal done to you?" The fiery woman turned to her son, slapping her son's chest. "He's skin and bones! Oh come here, Zack, I'll make you a sandwich." She took the Second's hand, dragging the boy towards the First's childhood home. "We can talk over some milk and cookies afterwards. Oh, Angeal – don't just stand there looking like an idiot! Go fix up the guest room for Zack."

"Yes, mother." Angeal started towards the room, ignoring the smirk coming from his student. He could already see that the visit was going to be hard; considering his mother hadn't received word that Zack was visiting as well. Though she showed obvious like for the boy, it didn't make her anger towards her son disappear. "Where are the sheets?"

"Where they're always are! Is he this inept in Midgar?" She looked over at Zack.

The teen blushed, shaking his head no. "Nuh-uh. He's usually on the ball about everything, Mrs. Hewley."

"It's Gillian – or mom, whichever you want to call me. Angeal, please bring me the yellow book on the fireplace on your way back."

Exhaling deeply, Angeal grabbed the book to give to his mother. There was no fighting his mother, even over his personal baby pictures – he lost in more ways than one by being a momma's boy. He could only hope Zack would forgive him for throwing himself on the buster sword.

* * *

Word: Old

* * *

Zack was lounging around Angeal's office one evening when a question arose from the shifting of paper. "Angeal – how old are you?"

"I haven't a gray hair on my head."

Looking up from the report he was drawing on, Zack frowned. "That isn't what I asked – I had no intention of turning you into superiors about retirement. I just think that we've been friends for two years and I should be allowed to know how old you are." The teen jumped off the couch with a mighty leap.

"Lazard was right; there is no respect in the ranks. I am your superior officer, not your friend."

"If that's so, sir, then why was I stretched over your desk just hours ago – in uniform might I add – screaming, _Commander, there, there, harder, now, now, you're my commander, yes, yes!_" Zack rolled his hand down his chest, thrusting his hips out before jerking into seriousness, "Now, how old are you?"

Rubbing his forehead, Angeal groaned. He was starting to become ashamed of his own out-of-control behavior. "I'm twenty-five."

"Wow," Zack stopped doing squats to gawk at his mentor. "I was thinking around…"

Suspicion rose in the commander. Work forgotten, the dark haired officer's gaze fell on his stupid student, "Just how hold do you people think I am?"

"Um. Thirty…something. Forty?"

Dropping his head down, Angeal let the air from his lungs in submission. "I'm getting too old for this…"

* * *

Word: Punishment

* * *

"How long has Zack been on bed rest so far?" Genesis looked over Angeal's shoulder as the man walked down the hall.

"Two weeks, and you should really go in there and apologize for attacking him like that. He's a Second, if you recall – you can't fight him like you would Sephiroth. I have half a mind to send you to be his personal servant as punishment. He's now two weeks behind in training; he just lays in bed and sulks. Zack _eats_ when he's depressed. I'm out of bread, and I'm taking this month's pay from your check so I can buy food."

"Your wages," Genesis smirked, "are being garnished already. Out of friendship, I will purchase you high calorie meals with extra sodium."

Glowering, Angeal pushed his friend's head away, "Your breath smells like fish."

Using his hand to test his own breath, Genesis frowned. "You should have followed orders."

"So this is punishment? You broke Zack's legs during my probation period? That's cruel and unusual."

"Oh no, Zack's legs were an accident. Sometimes I forget my own strength when I fight. You're only being punished for the repair of the helicopter, which you stole and destroyed while trying to rescue your puppy – who wasn't even in danger – after you were ordered – by Sephiroth and Lazard – to stay back. The Zack thing, that's just icing on my cake. That was _my_ blade you stole, not a broadsword." Walking past Angeal, Genesis smirked again, "payback's a bitch, isn't it?" Angeal growled as his phone rang, the name _Puppy_ flashing across the screen.

* * *

Word: Insult

* * *

Twenty-five.

Zack's brow twitched as he watched Angeal scroll through different training scenarios. Twenty-five times the man had verbally made comment about a puppy. "Can't do that, it's a park scenario. I left the ball in the apartment."

Twenty-six.

"Who puts a mailman in a scenario? I'll have a talk with the Tech. Department about that." Angeal pushed a button on his phone to look for a new mission. Twenty-seven.

"Ugh…I don't know about this woodland one. Do you promise not to piss on a tree again?"

"One time and you're labeled for life!" Zack cried out, fisting his hair. His eyes were watering as his stress levels rose again.

"I can't look at Murakai since that time, puppy."

Twenty-eight. "God damn it! Stop that!"

"What's wrong puppy?" Angeal looked up from his phone. He almost didn't dodge the sword that came towards his head. Jumping back, the First pulled his Buster Sword out to prepare for an onslaught of attacks. "Zack?"

The first tear rolled across his cheeks. "Stop calling me that!"

"Calling you what?"

"A dog. I don't call you…you…" Zack tried to find the right insult against his mentor, but found none.

Angeal didn't move his blade, but his eyes did shift in understanding. "I never called you a dog. You're a puppy." Lowering his blade, Angeal approached his student to wrap his arms around Zack's shoulders as the teen's shoulders began to shake. "Zack…I never meant it as an insult…"

"Well, your stupid joke is going too far! I'd rather train with Genesis than you, you, you ape!" Insult placed forth, Zack pushed away and stormed out of the training room, leaving Angeal to reconsider his affectionate nickname for his darling student.

* * *

Word: Uxoriousness

* * *

"Look at Angeal, running home to his darling wife."

That comment still bothered Angeal as he stopped to buy groceries for dinner. Though Zack didn't often cook, Angeal was quick to please the Second when the boy decided he was in the spirit. Today was some kind of beef, real potato, and corn on the cob. The grocery list came to his office around four, just as the older man was shutting down his computer to go home for the evening. Genesis had made the comment about Angeal's married status.

Angeal couldn't find reason to argue that statement. Some days he did feel like a love struck husband, eager to please his beautiful, sexy wife. Just coming home to Zack dressed in an apron with a pleasant smile was enough to make the worst day wonderful.

He was checking out cobs of corn when his PHS started ringing. He frowned, noting that Zack had changed his ring tone. Placing the phone to his ear, Angeal hummed, "Yes, puppy?"

"I need some cleaning supplies too, and would you mind picking up our uniforms from the dry cleaners? I forgot to stop there on my way home. And Cloud's dropping off his kitten here for the weekend, could you pick up some cat food? I heard it's finicky like Sephiroth; so buy the best brand there is. We'll charge our dear General for it later."

"Yes, pup; anything else before I come home?" He wanted to stand up for himself, to declare himself still a bachelor shacking up with his student for kicks. He wanted to tell his student to go pick up the dry cleaning himself, but the words never came as Zack listed out some dessert ingredients for a pie being made for the pot luck that upcoming Tuesday.

Genesis was right about one thing: there was a married feeling among the two lovers.

The brunette just wasn't aware how submissive and devoted Angeal was to his darling wife.

* * *

Word: Superannuate

* * *

It was a scenario that none of the First Class SOLDIERs had seen coming. Lazard had announced that one of their most beloved coworkers, a First that had become forgotten in Sephiroth, Genesis, and Angeal's rise to fame, was retiring. The three had been shocked, considering they had grown up respecting the man for bringing ShinRa into it's grand form.

After giving the man their best wishes out in the civilian world, the three remaining Firsts remained in the conference room to deliberate what to do. The man they respected, who had retired, was only forty. "A SOLDIER's life expectancy," Sephiroth tried to logically think it through, "is only thirty. He is considered an old man in comparison to us. It's only logical that ShinRa would lower the retirement age of sixty-eight to forty. Older First Class SOLDIERs are unable to perform the physical task required to remain in our position." The logic, however, didn't remove the faint green from his face. They were all in their mid-twenties and the thought of retirement was beginning to scare each of them.

"I, I don't want to go pick apples for a living," Angeal found himself whispering. He loved Banora apples, but to pick them everyday of his life for distribution scared him more than an entire platoon of Wutai armed to the teeth.

"You at least get to pick apples!" Genesis grabbed at his hair, "I'll be stuck with father's business! I'd sooner die then have to do paperwork day in day out, day in day out. No time to read or fight!"

The three fell into stunned silence taking into reality what leaving Soldier and Midgar would mean. Angeal didn't know what his friends were thinking, but his first thought was Zack. The boy had just turned twenty and still had a long time left in Soldier. Unless Angeal died, which he had no plans of doing anytime soon, he feared the thought of having to leave his student alone in the big city. The boy was so impressionable.

"Happy retirement, Baron!"

Speaking of puppies, his was coming in at that moment, smiling brightly. "Did you guys here about Baron? That's so awesome! He's been saving up for the last twenty years. He's going to be a mercenary! That's so cool – getting to travel the world, exploring regions, discovering monsters. I can't wait to retire too, that's an awesome way to live." The teen rushed towards his mentor giving the man a hug. "What are you guys gonna do for retirement?"

"I'm only twenty! I don't need to retire!"

"Twenty in what reality?" Sephiroth scowled. "Do you think I'll be a good miner in Nibelheim? I suppose I could be monster control. Cloud says a lot of dragons and wolves come in during the long winters." The man contemplated the thought.

"We'll be a mercenaries," Angeal supplied for himself.

"You three are really good friends then!" Zack smiled.

"Not them," Angeal waved a dismissing hand at his friends, "Us. I'm not retiring alone. I'm taking you with me."

"Yea, yea, whatever old man. Let's go train!"

"I'm contemplating my retirement, pup."

"You have...ten, eleven, fifteen years until you retire! Think about it tomorrow, train today or you'll get older faster."

Rolling his eyes, Angeal agreed. He didn't want to think about that kind of future anytime soon. He still had a while until he needed to leave SOLDIER – he was only twenty-five.

* * *

Word: Noisy

* * *

_The oriental Damascus steel itself was produced not in Damascus, but--_

From his kitchen, the clanking of pans pulled Angeal away from his book to his student who was doing…whatever. He'd told the boy to stop bouncing on the couch, so he assumed that the teen was getting ready to cook something instead. Shrugging, Angeal went back to his book.

_Unfortunately, the technique of producing Damascus steel blades is a lost art. The date of the last blade produced with the highest-quality damascene--_

His attention was pulled away again at the rapid beeping coming from his kitchen. "…Zack will you stop that!"

"I'm not doing anything."

"I'm trying to read and you're making too much noise."

Zack's head appeared from behind the door, raising a brow at Angeal. The two exchanged a brief staring contest before the brunette teen retreated back to the kitchen slowly. Rolling his eyes, Angeal went back to his book, only to be stopped in a matter of seconds by his student breaking what sounded like eggs. "Zack!"

"Angeal!" The puppy glared out the door again.

"Why?"

A fine brow was raised in question.

"Why is it, every time I try to read, you have to be loud?"

"You mean you don't know?" Zack's shocked voice came closer.

"No pup, I don't know – that's why I'm asking." Angeal rolled his eyes.

The teen crossed his arms, tapping his foot. "You read out loud. It's noisy."

"Excuse me?"

"You read. Out loud. And it's really noisy, so I try to cover it up."

Glaring, Angeal put his book down. "I do not read out loud."

"You do; ask anyone!"

"I will!" To prove his point, Angeal put his phone to his ear, waiting until his dearest friend, Genesis, answered the phone. "Genesis, do I read out loud?" The response was yes, and that it was noisy. Hanging up his phone, Angeal tossed his book on the floor to cross his arms over his chest. "I don't read out loud."

Smirking, Zack returned to the kitchen. That had been worth it; now he could be as noisy as he wanted to, thanks to the self-conscious Angeal.

* * *

Word: Baby

* * *

Awake again at three in the morning, Angeal rolled out of bed before Zack could move. Giving the teen a kiss on the cheek with the order to stay in bed, the First left the room. His eyes took a few seconds to adjust to the dark, but he found his way to the room two doors down. It was an uncomfortable distance to travel this late at night, especially considering who was living in the guest room now, but two-way talkies and light sleep paid off at the simplest of cries.

"Shh, shh, baby." Angeal whispered, picking his son up. Blue eyes looked up at him, followed by a coo of delight. "Daddy's here now, little Tenshu." He propped his son's head up in one arm, pulling the boy against his chest. Starting out of the room, Angeal moved to his kitchen with ease to grab some bottles that Zack had prepared before going to bed. His son sniffled, nosing the First's pajamas.

"Angeal?" Zack's voice came from the hall. "I, I can't hear my baby."

"We're in the kitchen, Zack."

Zack's bed head was the first thing Angeal saw before Tenshu was pulled from his arms. Smiling at the scene of Zack ensuring nothing was wrong with their son, Angeal rested back in a kitchen chair.

It was a wonder that a small baby could make tough SOLDIERs into scared babies themselves.


	5. Drabbles 41 through 50

Circle of Kisses  
**By**: Selim  
**Summary**: A look at Zack and Angeal's realationship through a series of drabbles.  
**Warnings**: Suggested themes, yaoi, language  
**Pairings**: AngealxZack, SephirothxCloud  
**Disclaimer**: I do not own Final Fantasy VII. I am not making any profit off this piece of fanfiction.

* * *

Word: Waste

* * *

He'd been stuck in his office, overwhelmed by work, when a memo came to his attention. A week prior (he'd just found it) Zack had been discharged.

The rest of the work was forgotten as Angeal rushed toward the director's office, impatient at the slow rush of automatic doors. "Lazard!"

The director looked up from his books before turning white in the face. "A-Angeal! This is…unexpected."

"Why the hell did you discharge Zack?" Angeal slammed his fist into the man's desk, leaving a dent. It was all he could do before he tore his superior's head off.

Lazard rested his hands under his chin, unable to make eye contact. "The higher ups have changed the rules for SOLDIER entry, and to make it fair, attacked those already within the program as well. One of the new rules is there has been an unfair advantage for troops entering the program having prior mako levels. These students are usually from outside Midgar areas where the reactors aren't managed properly leading to mako fountains outside and along city limits. Zack's mako level prior to entering SOLDIER and receiving his first full mako shot was equal to that of a third class SOLDIER that meant someone who had trained without any advantages and was equal to was brushed aside. Until things tide over all members of SOLDIER with this advantage are being discharged early."

"Then you need to send Sephiroth, Genesis, and I out. Genesis and I were raised where mako fountains are sprouting like daisies and Sephiroth was raised in a mako vat for all we know." Angeal's grip tightened on the desk.

The director shook his head. "That would be a waste of your ability in ShinRa. It's only temporary, Angeal. Think of it like a suspension."

"And what about the recruits that came in with high mako readings?"

"They can join the ShinRa Army."

"Cloud Strife," Angeal growled, "Is from Nibelheim. Sephiroth knows the boy would have a higher than most level – but that's his boyfriend. You kick Cloud out, Sephiroth's going to leave."

Trying to appear busy, Lazard just shrugged, "If you have any problems with this, please contact President ShinRa with your disputes. I'm merely a messenger."

"You're a waste of space, Lazard!" Angeal stormed out of the room, making his way to the President's office as quickly as possible.

* * *

Word: Snow

* * *

Icicle Inn wasn't the nicest place to be mid-winter. The wind had howled brutally, shaking the windows of the house that the team of investigators had stayed in. It had been unwelcoming and cold, but when the sun had risen and the snow glistened, Angeal saw why the few people in the area remained there.

It was gorgeous. He'd never really seen that much snow in his life. Every time he did see some, the man made his excitement clear by making a platoon of Snow SOLDIERs – even while on the clock.

Zack, however, didn't see it that way. Coming from a jungle climate, the teen had bundled up in an extra issue jacket to block the crisp wind. He cried and whined about having to continue the trek to the top of the mountains, to view mako activity inside the crater. He walked cautiously in Angeal's big footprints, trying to avoid getting too wet. In the end, he landed face first into Angeal's Snow SOLDIERs, crashing with them to the ground. Sniffling, the boy had asked his mentor to carry him the rest of the way.

Of course Angeal had ignored his student, opting to walk a little slower until his student was used to the snow around them. It was taking too long to Angeal's liking. Grabbing a handful of snow, Angeal rolled it into a ball while waiting for the best moment. Zack was several paces behind, carefully stepping in older footprints to avoid getting wet. Smirking, Angeal tossed the ball back. It hit the Second's head directly, knocking the boy back into the snow.

The teen flailed in fear, trying to pull out of the snow indent he made. "Angeal! Help!"

Excusing himself from the rest, Angeal approached his student with a wide smile. Thanks to the mako, he knew his student wouldn't get pneumonia, but it still meant they'd need to get warmed up as soon as they reached the lookout point – but Angeal brushed all logic aside with a simple yell, "Ice angel time!"

"No!" The teen screamed as Angeal landed on top of his student with his own arms spread. "Help! Someone!"

* * *

Word: Excited

* * *

T weekly briefing was always a long, boring three hours that made Angeal want to kill himself. Sitting next to his student made it all the harder. They had taken the top level of desk, for easy exit when the ShinRa Personnel Meeting finally finished. Making it harder to concentrate was his student, Zack, who was too busy drawing phalluses on his notes to be paying any attention to what the fat president had to say about wasteful spending.

After some time, Zack elbowed Angeal in the side, pointing to a suggestive drawing he'd just completed. Looking over, the First felt his face heat up at the lewd drawing of him and Zack doing it (as Angeal affectionately called it) 'puppy-style'. On the side was a quick note: 'Us, tonight.'

Readjusting his uniform trousers, Angeal placed a scowl on his face. "Behave." He whispered.

Zack just smiled, moving his leg against Angeal's. The First froze, shivering as his student's hand moved to write what could have been mistaken for notes.

"I'm so excited."

Picking up his own pen, Angeal took out his minute sheet, scribbling back "Oh?"

"I can already feel your hands rolling down my thighs, touching my aching cock."

Faintly, Angeal could hear the director speak, but his attention was solely on his student's hand acting out those words through flimsy clothes. "—First Class SOLDIER Angeal Hewley can address the floor on the state of matters in Wutai. Angeal?"

Looking up from his student, Angeal's eyes widened as he realized that he had no clue what the hell he was supposed to be saying. That, and he now sported a full erection. Too excited to move, Angeal looked at his student for help, but the boy was doodling a dead looking Angeal on his papers. "One should always finish what one started?"

The President and Director stared back at Angeal, switching the question to Genesis.

Zack only smiled throughout it all.

* * *

Word: Daughter

* * *

Angeal's greatest moment in life (aside from meeting his student) was when he stared into the blue eyes of his second born child, his first daughter. He'd promised everything short of the world to his child, especially when she said her first words, only for him.

Though both his children were his pride and joy, his daughter was his angel because she was so much like Zack, even when it came down to personality. She twirled and twisted, giggled and played. Her laugh could make even the harshest of environments feel like a piece of nirvana, but that was just the proud father in Angeal speaking.

Like any doting father, he sneered at her first boyfriend. He nearly killed her second, and by the third, he had gotten away with stranding the lad out in the desert. He didn't want to believe that with each passing day that his daughter smiled, that his right as a father would be lost. She'd grow up to not need him, would leave him like Genesis and Sephiroth had. Moving on with their lives – hah! That was a riot.

"Angeal come here," Zack giggled softly, pulling on his lover's arm. "Look at her. She's a woman now. Let her go."

"I don't want to, puppy." Angeal looked away, trying to occupy himself with finishing a report that had come in from the troops.

Zack just smiled, and looked back at their second child, their beautiful daughter, "She'll come to her daddy no matter how old she is. You just have to stand by her with your buster sword drawn, promising all her suitors that you'll kick their asses if she cries even once. Promise me?"

Looking at his daughter, sitting with Sephiroth and Cloud's boy, Angeal tensed, "Can't I just kick his ass before all that?"

"I promised Cloud his son would return with all limbs intact."

"He made a mistake of barking around my daughter. Zack, move."

"We can try for another daughter…"

"She'll grow up like this one!" Angeal hissed.

Wrapping his arms around Angeal, Zack looked down the hall at his daughter. "You're so cute when you're possessive."

"Mine…" Angeal sniffled, lowering his head. Zack only rested his head on his lover's as their daughter ran out of the house with Sephiroth's son.

* * *

Word: School

* * *

"Hewley-sensei-! You wanted to see me?" Zack stepped into Angeal's office, wearing a short skirt with a sailor top. The pen under Angeal's fingers snapped in two, spreading ink across his work. "Is this about skipping from my tutoring lesson?"

Still stiff, Angeal didn't move his gaze from his school-girl clad student. "For the most part. Your training is vital for your future and…I can't do this. Zack, what the hell are you wearing and why are you calling me 'teacher'? Commander would be more appropriate."

Zack tugged at his skirt, bright eyed. "Those terms of endearment go with the outfit. I need to get them to slide off my tongue more authentically. I've got a mission, y'know." The teen smiled sweetly. "And guess what—I get to keep this outfit! Let's role-play tonight. You're my hardworking professor, and I'm your naughty student."

"A naughty student, I'll give you that, but is our romance that dry that you have to pretend to be someone else?"

"No!" Zack smiled, twisting around just right to show his lacy panties under the skirt. "I want to get full use of this skirt. I do that puppy play you like, let me have this once in awhile."

"Whatever, pup. So who is going on this mission with you?"

"Genesis! He's going to be my backup."

"He...he's going to be your teacher?"

"Yep! Hey, I'm going to go see if he's ready to go. I'll see you later, bye Angeal!"

When his student was out of hearing range, Angeal lifted up the phone to call up his 'dearest' of friends. Genesis picked up on the first ring. "If you touch him, I'll castrate you."

* * *

Lies

* * *

He had said he was going out with that cadet, Cloud. Angeal found out he spent the evening with Genesis.

He had said there was an important mission that would take up his summer months. Zack really went on vacation in Costa De Sol with Cloud.

He had said that nothing was going on between him, Genesis, or Cloud, but with his recent track record, Angeal didn't know if he could will the power to believe his own student. In the end, Angeal decided that it was another lie, to follow along with the millions of others.

He had to prove to Zack that he honestly did know of all the lies. He had followed his student on a supposed 'outing' with Cloud, only to watch as his student approached none other than Genesis in one of the back halls of ShinRa. Zack hadn't completely lied; Cloud came up to the two moments later looking nervous.

Angeal didn't leave it at that; he would see how much more his student had lied to him. He felt those kisses before bed didn't speak the full truth; instead Zack had found intimacy with Angeal's best friend. Standing feet back, he watched as Genesis opened his apartment door, holding his hand out to let his two guests in. Zack put a firm hand on Cloud's back, pushing the teen in the apartment. Genesis followed them in, shutting the door firmly behind.

Approaching the door, Angeal put his ear against the cool metal, listening at the voices from inside. Zack was protesting, Cloud whispering nervous 'no's'. Yet another lie – Zack had promised to protect all things honorable, including his friends. Rapping the door, Angeal waited with his arms crossed for one of the three occupants to answer the door.

Genesis did, sticking his head out suspiciously, "I can't hang out today, Angeal. I just bought a good book."

"Don't lie to me, Genesis."

"I'm not."

Even his dear friend was full of lies. Pushing Genesis back, Angeal stormed in the apartment. He froze at the scene set before him.

Cloud and Zack were laying on their bellies around a book, looking up with wide, nervous eyes. "Angeal!"

"Commander!" Cloud shot up. "Please don't tell Sephiroth I'm here! I canceled our date!"

"I can explain!"

The two keep rambling as Genesis returned to the floor, looking over the book with boyish curiosity. Angeal scowled. "What the hell is going on here?"

"It's Zack's idea!" Cloud whimpered, covering his red face.

"Genesis was helping us find ways to please you and Sephiroth better. He bought a book from that one new adult book store and was helping us figure out what our 'significant' others would like," Zack snorted. "Why have you been following me?"

"Don't change the topic puppy."

"You said you trusted me! I can't believe you would lie to me."

"I, I thought you were lying to me," Angeal responded hesitantly.

"I told you we weren't sleeping around. My word should have been enough."

Genesis looked up at Angeal with a cunning smirk, "Don't think I didn't try. Two cute boys coming to your apartment for sex tips – it's so tempting. Now be gone, Angeal. I'm teacher tonight!"

Red in the face, and knowing that Zack would be giving him an earful that night, Angeal stormed out of the room fully sure that his lover had never once lied to him.

* * *

Word:Substitute

* * *

Zack loved his new teacher, Angeal. It had only been six months since he started getting private lessons with the legendary SOLDIER. It was to his surprise one late fall morning that he made it to the training hall to meet up with Angeal, only to find that the man wasn't there. At first, it made Zack edgy. In the short time he had known the bulky swordsman, Angeal had always been punctual, even going so far as to show up earlier than the required time.

Occupying his time waiting by doing squats, Zack nearly jumped out of his skin when he heard the doors slide open. "Angeal!"

"No, sorry," The person who'd just entered the room smiled. Blushing, Zack stood at attention when he realized it was Genesis Rhapsodos, another legendary SOLDIER. "Zack Fair, right?"

"Yes, sir!" The teen faced forward, trying to ignore the commander circling him like a vulture.

"Angeal couldn't be here today, he's … tied up at the moment. I'll be teaching you today." The man stopped short of Zack's face, leaning in just enough for the teen to feel the man's warm breath.

Starting his squats again, Zack smiled brightly towards the man, "So what are we going today, sir?"

"What was Angeal working on with you yesterday?"

"Exercise drills."

"Good idea! Do some sit-ups."

Zack had just dropped on the floor to position his legs properly when the training door slid open and an annoyed Angeal stormed in. "Genesis!"

"Oh, you figured out the knot." Genesis scowled, looking over the teen at the floor. "Great figure, Zack, stretch your body out some, you want to put some tension on the stomach muscles right here." The brunet bent down to run his hand over Zack's tone belly.

"Genesis!"

"Spoilsport. Have your student back: just remember, Zack, I'm always here to substitute."

Smiling over at Genesis, Zack nodded quickly, "Thanks for helping me a little today! Angeal, did you finish the work that had you tied down?" Angeal just scowled, kicking lightly at Zack's thigh.

"One hundred sit-ups, pup."

"Yes, sir!"

* * *

Word: Kiss

* * *

Angeal was watching those plump lips in fascination. It was hard to believe sometimes that those plump, kissable lips belonged to a male. A male student at that. Leaning forward, Angeal placed his elbows on the table as he watched his student lick his lips in delight. "This pie is delicious, Angeal."

"I'll tell my mother you enjoyed her cooking. She sends me too many baked goods thinking I need them."

"My mom just sends me clean underwear." Zack giggled into his hand before taking another bite of his dessert. Another Banora apple chunk got stuck on his lip, but Zack was unaware of it as he continued eating.

However, Angeal's eyes fell on that delicious piece of fruit being closer to Zack's lips than the First had ever been. "Zack?"

"Mm?" The teen looked up, swallowing the food.

Leaning forward, Angeal licked the banora apple from Zack's lips before pulling away, red faced and scared.

The teen however just smiled, leaning over the table to chastely kiss Angeal. "That," the teen whispered, "is how you're supposed to give a kiss."

"I thought this was a better this way. Give me another kiss, puppy."

"Only for another slice of pie."

Angeal wasted no time paying that small fee.

* * *

Word: History

* * *

Backpack thrown over his shoulder, Zack rushed down the street waving his arm rapidly towards his tutor, Angeal. Grabbing the man's arm, the preteen pressed his head into the high school senior's shoulder. "I got accepted to the high school! Thank you, thank you!"

"I'm so proud of you, puppy. We'll go get something to eat after school to celebrate." The older student put his school bag over his shoulder. "You seem tired though, puppy. Don't tell me you celebrated all night?"

"No, I really did try sleeping last night, but I kept having these weird dreams." The preteen lowered his gaze to the ground. He didn't even need to look up to tell Angeal was mothering him as always. "It was strange. I was dressed in this army uniform, and we were fighting these guys over in Wutai-Sector, only they were living like Edo-era ninjas. Oh and Genesis went like crazy, not that he isn't in reality but still – he made you join him to kill everyone and Sephiroth went crazy and-and-… I can't remember all of it but I remember dying at the end of the dream from the very army I was a part of."

"Sounds like you were playing your video games before going to sleep again," Angeal smiled, "Some crazy idea from Cube Company or something – them and their stupid End Dream Series you like so much."

Rubbing his eyes, Zack frowned, "It felt so real though. Maybe you're right. Anyway, pick me up after school, big brother Angeal!" The boy kissed the high school student on the cheek before rushing to his own school.

Watching his student leave, Angeal shifted his gaze towards the high towers of the city of Midgar. "Him and his silly fantasies."

* * *

Word: Monster

* * *

The first time he saw that Angeal copy, Zack had wanted to cry and rush over to the monster that had protected him and Aeris, but he couldn't. Part of him was wary of the supposed monster-copy of his dearest mentor, and the rest of him was excited that even in death his mentor was still there to take care of his student.

Having abandoned his somewhat-teacher with Aeris for the night, Zack was surprised to see an Angeal-Clone looking in at him with loving affection on a monsters face while the Angeal face slept in pain. Opening the window, Zack scowled, "Angeal, I said look after Aeris!"

The monster just stepped inside, tail flicking happily. Dropping on a seat, Zack raised his arm for the clone to come sit by him. Angeal did, curling a wing around Zack. "You can tell I'm still uncomfortable with this, can't you?"

The monster turned, it's long tongue licking at Zack's face. "Ew." Zack turned away.

After sometime of sitting there with a wing draped over his shoulder, Zack turned to face his teacher again. "You never were a monster to me, Angeal." He finally admitted. "A bit odd but never a monster. I'm going to miss you holding me at night, yelling at me when I make mistakes, and loving me even though I'm an idiot. I'm not ready to say goodbye to you – real or clone."

Zack scowled, feeling the wings touch the top of his head, affectionately. It reminded him of Angeal petting him, calling him a silly puppy before going about the rest of their day. Zack looked over the sleeping image of Angeal on the monster's head. After a moment, he leaned forward and kissed the face's temple before pulling away, blushing hard. "Thanks for staying with me, Angeal."

Wind blew through the window, whispering into Zack's ear, "_I miss you, Zack._"

* * *

**Thanks to: QuietNCryptic for beta'ing. Kanarazu, Silverin, DarkBombayAngel, Tazzles, Special K the Great, Chocobo Watcher, and Gaarahottie for your reviews.**


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